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Cowboys Try To Overcome Early And Late Season Sickness

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Jon Kitna #3 of the Dallas Cowboys talks with Jason Garrett during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

IRVING (105.3 THE FAN) – The Cowboys are dealing with the cold and flu season. Cold as in the cold north wind that blew through the practice field today, and “flu” as in Martellus Bennett missing practice today and Terrence Newman missing yesterday. Marion Barber went through his second day of work, but not on the field. Other players out: Sean Lee (shoulder), Jesse Holley (knee), and Roy Williams, who strolled into the weight room as practice began.

Jason Garrett opened his afternoon press briefing by discussing “the play.” You know the one. The play at the end of the half in the opener against the Redskins, which Tashard Choice caught but was taken the other way 32 yards for a score by DeAngelo Hall.

Sign of things to come for the entire season? In hindsight, yes. The Cowboys, of course, ended up losing the game 13-7, and that play was topped only by the “touchdown that wasn’t.” As the Redskins called it in their press release this week, it was the Yellow Flag of Salvation that wiped out a 13 yard touchdown pass to Roy Williams with no lime left on the clock. Only problem was that Alex Barron was called for holding on the play and the rest is history.

“It was definitely a little heart-wrenching but I did see the flag on the field,” said DeAngelo Hall. “I saw the referee make the holding signal and I ran off the field.”

And the Cowboys shuffled away with the loss. “It was a devastating loss, especially losing like that,” said Jason Witten

“Like that” included the Choice strip by Hall. Jason Garrett reflected on it today briefly. “I shouldn’t have called the play. We’ve been very good before the half int he past so you want to make sure your aggressive, but at the same time you don’t want a negative play like that to happen.”

In Garrett’s defense, and it is a slight one, I cannot imagine that he foresaw a game in which the Cowboys would score only 7 points, but it is a lesson learned. An out route deep in your own end in that situation is a no-no.

Barron has been an invisible man since that game, playing in place of the injured Marc Columbo in that one. So the Cowboys will now look at avenge it…with nothing at stake. Except for a battle for last place. Oh, and whomever wins can say they took the 100th regular season matchup between the teams. Too bad it won’t mean anything.